


His Autumn Leaves

by YouDontDrinkScotch



Category: Scrubs (TV)
Genre: Autumn, Bittersweet, Established Relationship, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, M/M, One Shot, Seasonal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:54:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26165965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YouDontDrinkScotch/pseuds/YouDontDrinkScotch
Summary: When Perry and J.D. are taking a walk together during a beautiful autumn morning, Perry recalls a very memorable day from his past.
Relationships: Perry Cox/John "JD" Dorian
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	His Autumn Leaves

**Author's Note:**

> Hello to everyone reading this!! This is the first fanfic I’ve ever posted anywhere, so I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for reading!

Perry couldn’t help but laugh as a bright-red leaf fluttered down from an overhead tree to land right on J.D.’s nose, causing him to sneeze.

It was a crisp autumn morning, and Perry and J.D. were walking on their way to Sacred Heart for their shifts together. Perry would’ve preferred to drive, but J.D. had managed to convince him to take a walk there instead to admire the fall.

It was rather cold this early, so J.D. had himself bundled up in a coat and scarf that Perry honestly wanted to grab him by, tug him close, and kiss the frost off his nose. But, of course, they were in public, not Perry’s apartment.

Perry himself was only wearing a coat. J.D. had tried to get him to wear another layer or something to stay warm before they left Perry’s apartment that morning, but the older man had refused. He almost regretted it now as the wind picked up, throwing yellow, brown, and red colored-leaves in their path.

“Fall’s great, isn’t it?” J.D. expressed contentedly, now wiping his nose from the powerful sneeze he had just emitted.

“Eh, too many leaves,” Perry replied gruffly while stepping on an especially crunchy one.

J.D. pressed himself into Perry’s side as they continued to walk.

“Oh, c’mon, Per. I’m sure you find this beautiful in some way.”

Perry’s only response was a snort.

They walked on like that for a while in contented silence. Eventually, J.D. had stuffed his hand into Perry’s coat pocket where Perry’s own hand was residing to gently hold it. Perry actually found himself enjoying this, and actually happy that J.D. had managed to drag him out onto this walk.

But, of course, the happy bliss was eventually shattered when J.D.’s eyes stretched wide to behold a large pile of leaves resting on the sidewalk, causing them both to pause.

“Look at that,” J.D. gasped with the pure awe of a child.

“Now, Newbie,” Perry started. “I know that massive pile of leaves is tempting, but you gotta remember that we’re doctors. Not children.”

J.D. blinked a few times in thought before pulling himself away from Perry, leaving a sudden cold on the older man’s side that he didn’t like.

“I can’t resist, Per. I just can’t.”

And with that, the younger doctor ran towards the pile, brimming with pure excitement, and leaped.

His feet hit the leaves with a massive crunch, sending stray ones to go flying into the air by the sudden attack.

J.D., who wore the biggest smile Perry had ever seen, was now knee-deep in the warm-colored pile.

Taking in this sight had managed to send Perry deep into his memories.

He remembered walking home from school one day when he was only ten. It was a cold autumn day just like this one.

The then-ten-year-old Perry Cox was admiring his surroundings. He loved the fall. It was always beautiful, with bright-colored leaves littering the streets everywhere, contrasting the dull gray sky that promised snow sometime in the future.

Of course, getting to admire the season was always bittersweet. Perry knew that as soon as he would get home, the entire feeling of calm and bliss would be shattered instantly the second he walked through his front door. He would be yelled at by his father for something trivial, then proceed to be grabbed by the wrist and pulled away to receive many beer bottles to the head. Meanwhile, the entire world outside would continue to grow chillier by the day, welcoming in the winter; oblivious to the child suffering inside the hell-hole of a household.

It was that day that Perry was walking home, dreading his eventual arrival home, when he spotted a massive pile of leaves gathered neatly on the sidewalk.

He had, at first, ignored it. He told himself it was stupid to want to partake in such a childish activity. But, as he drew closer, temptation began to set in.

Eventually, it was too much. In that moment, the ten year-old boy ran towards that perfectly sized pile of leaves. He threw away the idea that it could be seen as childish, and instead allowed the feeling of being young and carefree to set it. He forgot all about the horrible side of the world he had already gotten to see at such a young age, and allowed himself to simply be ten years old.

He leapt into the pile, sending leaves scattering everywhere. He had laughed and laughed at the pure joyful feeling of getting to have fun, and at the feeling of getting to enjoy his youth, if even for a moment.

And as the small boy walked home that day, he felt a little less dread than he normally did when going home.

Now, Perry snapped himself from the memory as J.D. strolled up to him with a skip in his step and a smile bright enough to challenge the sun.

“Wasn’t that awesome?” He asked, breathless.

Perry wrapped his arms around J.D.’s waist and pulled him close. He buried his nose into the younger man’s hair and kissed his head, glad to see that no matter what, J.D. would always have that childlike innocence that Perry was robbed of so many years ago.

“Yeah, Newbie. That was awesome.”


End file.
